First Christmas
by tic tac toe 03
Summary: Sybil and Branson aren't at Downton this Christmas but this can't mean they don't celebrate- this shows they're first Christmas together and Sybil's first one as part of the Branson family. Will it beat Downton Christmases?


**First Christmas**

**Disclaimer****- I own nothing but my OCs **

Sybil blearily opened one eye and frowned as she noticed the absence of a warm body beside her in bed. More awake now she sat up and gazed around the room which despite the smaller size and sparser furnishing felt more like her own than her bedroom at Downton ever had.

Tom had opened the curtains when he got up and the sight of rain was by a now a normal one but made it no less disappointing that it was raining not snowing on Christmas Day. She felt a pang of homesickness as she thought of her mother's last letter detailing the snow covered grounds and wondered what her family were doing. What would she miss out on this year?

For a moment she longed to be sitting between her squabbling sisters as their parents passed them presents and their grandmother made comments about how Christmas had been done when she was their age.

And then Tom appeared carrying two cups of tea and she couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be. "Merry Christmas love." He passed her a mug of tea before settling down next to her drawing her into his side.

"Merry Christmas Tom." She grinned leaning her head against his shoulder and sipping at her tea. "Can you believe that this is our first Christmas together?"

"I know." He agreed pulling the covers further up over them to keep the cold Dublin air out. "Well unless you count us dancing together at the servant's ball last year."

"I don't count that." Sybil said indignantly. "You danced with both Mary and Edith as well and if I remember correctly Anna and Daisy too."

Tom shook his head fondly at her. "I didn't think it was like you to get jealous especially not over your sisters. I thought you left that up to them."

She stuck his tongue out at him. "I do normally but not when it comes to you." He pressed a kiss into her hair and then frowned as she drained her tea and flung the covers back. "We need to get up." She told him firmly. "We have to be at Church in an hour."

Her husband scowled at her but stood up regardless well aware of the trouble he would be in from his mother if they were late to church.

While they weren't late to church they were the last of his family to arrive and as a result had to squeeze into the end of the pew so by the time the service was over they were both ready to get out into the rain and stretch their legs.

As they joined the crowd of people edging outside to make their way home to Christmas lunches Tom slipped an arm around Sybil's waist smiling to himself as Rose, his youngest niece, slipped her hand into Sybil's chatting excitedly about the presents waiting at home for her to open.

"Uncle Tom." Toby, his nephew, who had squeezed ahead of them, appeared by his side. Tom marvelled at his ability to move around a crowd without becoming trapped between people. "It's snowing."

"Now it's really Christmas." He ruffled the eight year olds hair ignoring the yelp of protest and Charlotte, his sister-in-law, reproachful look as she tried to make her son look presentable again.

As they spilled out into the streets of Dublin Sybil turned to Tom her eyes shining. "It's really snowing." She laughed swinging Rose easily into her arms the three year old squealing in delight.

"Told you it didn't rain all the time here." He joked keeping his arm around her as they led the family home to his mother's where they would be spending the rest of the day. She shook her head at him tucking herself closer to his side to keep her and her niece warm.

Behind them Patrick and Charlotte walked hand in hand with Siobhan clutching her grandmother, Eva's, hand while Toby ran circles around all of them. "It makes a change walking home from church with you instead of driving you." Tom teased nudging her.

His wife pulled a face at him. "You drove us home from Church once and that was only because Edith had sprained her ankle and Mama insisted that Mary and I go with her in the car. You know we always walked to church; it was hardly far."

He smirked at her but was saved from replying as they reached the house, Rose scrambling down and running into the warmth. "Do you want any help with lunch?" Sybil caught Eva's arm as they entered the house.

"Not at the moment thank you dear." She smiled in return. "Go and enjoy yourself I'll let you know if I need any help."

"Thank you." Sybil kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas." She disappeared into the living room to join Charlotte and her children while Tom and his brother followed their mother into the kitchen.

"It's nice to have you home for Christmas Tom." His mother admitted as she set about chopping the vegetables and her sons made themselves comfortable around the Christmas table as they used to do when they were children.

"It's great to be home." He admitted truthfully. "I missed this."

"Really." Patrick raised his eyebrows. "So not even dancing with Sybil was better than Christmas with us." Tom aimed a kick at him under the table wishing he hadn't written so passionately about his now wife.

"Don't kick your brother." The two men stared at their mother who hadn't even turned round from washing the potatoes.

"How did you know?" Tom spluttered as Patrick sniggered earning himself a exasperated glance from his mother.

"I'm your mother." She returned to her chopping. "I know the two of you better than anyone." Her two sons pulled a face at each other and then laughed.

"And I'm glad Sybil's with us too." She sent her younger son a soft smile over her shoulder and he returned it gratefully. While his mother hadn't been as hostile to the marriage as her family she had had some reservations about the posh English girl entering into her family. "She's a lovely girl and she obviously makes you happy."

"She does." He nodded kicking his brother again as he rolled his eyes at the turn of conversation. The family had been entirely welcoming of his wife when they had arrived in the country but it was nice to know that behind closed doors they approved of his wife and liked her.

"You too better go and join the others." She sent them on their way and they consented knowing that she preferred to cook lunch alone. "Make sure they don't open any presents until after lunch." She added as an afterthought.

Despite both Charlotte and Sybil's best attempts there was chaos in the living room with Toby and Siobhan playing an enthusiastic and loud game of tiddlywinks and Rose playing with her favourite doll.

"You having a good time?" Tom dropped onto the sofa next to Sybil and she tucked her feet up under her curling into his side.

She glanced up to meet his eyes. "Wonderful." She answered honestly. "This is so much more fun than listening to Granny talk about her opinions of Christmas and how its changed."

"You mean your Grandmother actually let something change." He teased; she laughed but said nothing only leant her head on his shoulder smiling at Charlotte as she leant against Patrick's chest watching her children fondly.

"Do you miss them?" Tom's voice was quiet and she was silent for a moment wondering how best to phrase her answer.

"Yes." She admitted. "I do sometimes wish that we lived a bit closer to them but I love my life here and I'd hate to go back to Downton and sit around choosing dresses for the rest of my life. I'm so much happier here with you Tom than I would be anywhere else."

He said nothing only tightened his grip on her but the smile on his face when she looked up said everything.

"Have you heard anything more about Bates?" Sybil eventually asked breaking through Toby's enthusiastic yet horribly out of tune singing.

Her husband shook his head sadly since they had moved away he had suddenly found himself as Anna's main confidante through letter and while Sybil heard some of the story through her correspondence with her family her husband tended to have a fuller picture.

"Nothing more; I'm worried about Anna though." He admitted; he and the housemaid had always gotten along well as he had done with her husband and he suspected that it was partly Bates' suggestion that she write to him.

"Do you think they'll find him innocent?" Sybil blinked back tears hating how the conversation had turned sombre and that her family and their servants were suffering right through it all while they were sheltered from it all across the ocean.

"They bloody well should." Tom muttered fiercely muttering a vague apology for the language as both Sybil and Charlotte shot him warning looks. "They can't put an innocent man to death." He shook his head. "They can't."

"I know." Sybil placed a hand on his cheek and he leant into her touch. "They won't." Her words brought little comfort to either for they both knew that there was a very real prospect that they would.

"Alright lunch is cooking so how about we open some presents." Eva appeared back in the room and was immediately met by Siobhan whose hug almost sent her spinning to the ground and cheers from both Rose and Toby.

Soon there was paper almost covering the floor as the children uncovered toys and books from their parents, grandmother, grandparents and aunts and uncles while the others exchanged gifts more sedately.

Looking at the pile of her presents on her right Sybil smiled happily; it may have been a smaller pile than normal but the scarf her mother-in-law had knitted her and the apron from Patrick and Charlotte meant everything.

And even her family had sent presents with a book from each of her sisters and grandmother and some money for some new clothes from her parents who had even consented to send Tom a book about cars as well.

"Don't look so surprised." She laughed as he opened it. "They don't completely hate you and its good manners to send your son-in-law something for Christmas."

He was only half listening as he flicked through the book absorbed but as she finished talking he looked up. "I'll even write and thank them myself." He grinned at her and she shook her head fondly at him.

"And they might even put your name on their letters to us." Sybil teased him although her words held an element of truth as while her family had accepted their marriage, albeit grudgingly for some people, he was never included in their correspondence and was rarely asked after. It was really only Anna and very occasionally Mrs Hughes who he heard from from Downton.

"I doubt it." Patrick laughed. "No one in their right mind would write to Tom."

"Funny but I thought you wrote to me while I was at Downton." He shot back. "Or am I thinking of my other brother called Patrick." Charlotte and Sybil exchanged exasperated yet loving looks as their husbands continued to bicker.

"Have they ever got through a day without arguing?" Sybil turned to her mother-in-law who was watching her family with a fond smile.

"No." She sighed. "They used to argue seriously though; there was one time when Tom wouldn't speak to Patrick for a whole week. I never got to the bottom of that one though." Tom blushed and Sybil giggled.

"I doubt you were as bad as Mary and Edith." She smirked at him. "I'm sure they both would have been married if they hadn't kept squabbling."

"Really?" Charlotte who never tired of hearing about life at Downton Abbey looked interested.

"Yes." She muttered sadly. "They would never tell me the details but apparently Mary told Sir Anthony Edith didn't want to marry him and Edith had something to do with why Mary felt she couldn't marry Matthew."

"Lady Edith was going to marry Sir Anthony." Tom looked surprised. "Dull chap."

Sybil snorted. "Well it was a long time ago before the war and I think it was more so she could marry before Mary; she didn't love him. "

"Speaking of your sisters; is Lady Mary still engaged to Sir Richard or have she and Mr Matthew finally got their act together."

Sybil shook her head and smirked at him loving how he still referred to his in-laws by their titles. "Still engaged to Sir Richard." She scowled. "Why?"

"I don't want her to marry someone she doesn't love." He did look genuinely concerned but his wife knew him too well and raised an eyebrow at him. "And I have a bet going with Bates."

"Really." His mother stood and flicked him on the forehead. "Have I taught you no respect?" she sent Sybil an apologetic look and then disappeared to look at the lunch.

Tom rubbed his forehead and tried to ignore Patrick's laughter. "Aww my poor darling." Sybil teased laughing at him but dropping a kiss on his forehead where the red mark was.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of eating, looking through presents and being drawn into the children's games with their new presents and fending off the teasing from both Tom and Patrick until it was nearing nine o'clock and both Patrick and Tom wanted to leave before the streets became too unpleasant to walk in.

"So how did this Christmas compare with past Christmases?" Tom asked after they had said their goodbyes and treading through the snow as more fell around them.

"Different." She replied honestly taking his hand. "But brilliant."

"So no regrets?" He checked; while she told him repeatedly that she loved her life now he knew there must be some aspects she missed.

"I miss my family and Downton." She admitted. "But we'll see them in the new year and I'd have left anyway. I suppose my biggest regret is not getting to dance with you this year."

He stopped and drew her into his arms. "Well then, may I have this dance milady." She giggled and blushed but accepted his offer and placed her hands in the correct position and he began to whirl them round the street in the falling snow.

"Merry Christmas darling." She whispered not wanting to break the magic between them with a loud voice.

"Merry Christmas." He replied twirling her under his arm and then back into his arms.

**I know it's a cheesy ending but hey… it's Christmas. Have a lovely one if you celebrate and if not enjoy tomorrow anyway and make sure you watch Downton Abbey! Even if Sybil and Branson aren't in it- sob! At least they're back for season 3! **

**Thank you for reading! **

**Tacxxx**


End file.
